Pouch type battery

Abstract

A pouch type battery, including a pouch type bare cell having a terrace and having an electrode tab adjacent to the terrace, the terrace being an empty space defined where a sealing area of the electrode tab is not bent, the sealing area positioned in a direction in which the electrode tab extends, a protective circuit board electrically connected to the electrode tab, the protective circuit board positioned in the terrace and including a protection circuit, an upper case supporting the protective circuit board and encasing an upper portion of the bare cell, and a first barrier protruding downwardly from the upper case and electrically separating the protective circuit board from the electrode tab.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A pouch type battery, comprising:
 a pouch type bare cell having a terrace and having an electrode tab adjacent to the terrace, the terrace being an empty space defined where a sealing area of the electrode tab is not bent, the sealing area positioned in a direction in which the electrode tab extends; 
 a protective circuit board electrically connected to the electrode tab, the protective circuit board positioned in the terrace and including a protection circuit; 
 an upper case supporting the protective circuit board and encasing an upper portion of the bare cell; and 
 a first barrier protruding downwardly from the upper case and electrically separating the protective circuit board from the electrode tab. 
 
     
     
       2. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bare cell is a polymeric cell using a polymer as electrolyte. 
     
     
       3. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein:
 the bare cell includes an electrolyte contained in a pouch, and 
 the electrode tab extends from inside the pouch to outside the pouch, the pouch being sealed around the electrode tab at the sealing area. 
 
     
     
       4. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the electrode tab is bent to be electrically connected to the protective circuit board. 
     
     
       5. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the electrode tab bends downward so as to fold back toward a bottom of the terrace, and bends sideways so as to extend along the bottom of the terrace. 
     
     
       6. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a lower case encasing a lower portion and sides of the bare cell; and 
 a second barrier protruding upwardly from the lower case so as to be located between the electrode tab and a first side end of the upper case, wherein the second barrier is coupled to the first side end of the upper case, the first side end of the upper case being located opposite to the terrace with respect to the electrode tab. 
 
     
     
       7. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the lower case is molded into the periphery of the bare cell to be integrally formed with the bare cell. 
     
     
       8. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the electrode tab bends downward so as to fold over an extending portion of the lower case and back toward a bottom of the terrace, and bends sideways so as to extend along a surface of the lower case and along the bottom of the terrace. 
     
     
       9. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the electrode tab includes a bend of about 180 degrees where it bends downward, and the second barrier protrudes upwardly to a height that is greater than a height of the electrode tab at the bend of about 180 degrees. 
     
     
       10. The pouch type battery as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the upper case covers an uppermost portion of the second barrier.